Oil saver



March 17, 1931.

c. F. RIGBY 1,796,724

OIL SAVER Filed 6, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR C I a1 If. F- R i g by by his axf'for we;

March 17, 1931. c. RlGBY 1,796,724

OIL SAVER Filed oct 'e, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Clea/i I. Riqbl b WMQQrW his cuffor'neq March 17, 1931. c RIGBY 1,796,724

OIL SAVER heets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 6. 1927 r q 3 q 3 11 FIG. 4 FIG 5 Patented Mar. 17, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLARK I. RIGBY, OF BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 1'0 WILLIAM E. LARKIN,

' 13., OF BUTLER, ,IPENNEYLVANIA OIL SAVER Application filed October 6, 1987. Serial 1T0. 224,383.

This invention relates to an oil saver. To prevent the escape of oil and gas during the drilling of a well, and after a productive sand has been reached, it 1s necessary to close the opening in the casing head through which the drilling cable passes. A number of devices have previously been designed andused for this (purpose, amon such being those illustrate and describe in the patents ranted to the present inventor, No. 696,74 dated A ril 1st, 1902, No. 983,314, dated February th, 1911, and No. 1,152,548, dated September 7th, 1915.

One object of the invention is to provide an oil saver which may be readily removed from the casing-head and drilling cable in connection with which it is used.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved seat between the casing head and oil saver,.and to rovide a washer for use this seat which 1s so arranged as to ositively revent leakage therepast.

15 further 0 ject of the invention is to provide a washer or packing around the drillin cable, which will engage the drilling ca le tighter as the pressure in the casing rises, thereby positively preventing the esca e of gases in this region also.

the drawings Figure 1 is a side eleva- 0 tion of the device of the resent invention ;mounted on a casing hea Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 in Figure 1; Fi re 3 is a top plan view of the split packing gland; Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in cross section, showing the novel seating washer in its normal osition; Figure 5 is a similar view showing t e wash-. ers position when pressure exists in the cas in Figure 6 shows a modified form of ca le packing; Figure 7 is a similar view showing the effect of pressure within the caslng. v p

- With reference to the drawings, 1 desigcasing head collar which is xed in the eas- 111% head b means of set-screws 4. In the co ar 3 is. xed the washer 5,,which washer is composed of any suitable resilient mate: rial. he said; washer is formed with an 5o annular V notch 7. Threaded sleeve 6 serves nates a'well casing, 2 a casin head, and 3 ato maintain the washer rigidly in its track. As shown in Figures 2, 4, and 5 of the drawings, the open edge of the V notch faces the seam 9 between the collar 3 and the oil saver head 8. When there is little or no pressure in the casing there is no tendency for the gas or oil to pass up the seam 9 and escape.

The position of the washer 5 as illustrated in Figure 4 shows how the lip 5a of washer 5 in the V notch 7, and any pressure in the casing causes. the lip 5a to seat tighter 7 against the shoulder 10. This is shown .in Figure 5. In this manner the seating between the collar 3' and head 8 becomes tighter as the pressure in the casing increases. i

The means of attaching the oil saver head 8 in the collar 3, are practically the same as those employed in the Patent N 0. 1,152,548, dated September 7, 1915. That is, a plurality of latches 11 engage the collar 3 as shown in Figure 2. In the drilling operation the process of withdrawing the drilling tools is simplified, owing to the function of members 12. When the drilling cable C is drawn upward the tool holder 13 strikes members 12 which cause the latches 11 to move inwardly to allow the head 8 to'rise "with the cable.

The operation of the latter mechanismis described in detail in the last cited atent.

In t e revious forms of oil savers, it was found di cult to remove the head 8 from the drilling cable. To overcome this obvious inconvenience the new form of split head was designed. The head 8 is composed of two halves 8m and 86 respectively, each half being commonly hinged at 14. A pivoted bolt 15 and wing nut 16 serve to hold the two I halves together in operating position around the drilling cable C. Each half of the head 8a and 8?) has a handle 8a and 8d respec--- tively. The purpose of the handles is to facilitate the handling of the split head 8 in removing or replacing the same on the drilling cable C. It should be understood that the arrangement of said handles is of prime importance. The handles pass outwardly at an angle from the joining edges of the two head portions 8a and 8b. This allows one man to fit the head on the cable and press the two handles together with one hand while the wing nut 16 is positioned and tightened with the other hand.

In Figure 2 the usual manner of packin is'illustrated at 17. The packing material is caused to engage closely the drilling cable C by means of the packing T gland 18 which may be screwed down to give the proper pressure on the packing material 17. It is not novel to have the T gland in two portions, but by having the parting surface of one leg of theT rounded off at 18a it is possible to unscrew gland 18 from the head 8, and remove a nut and bolt from hole 186, open the gland to the position shown in dotted lines in Fi ure 3, and remove the sameas a whole rom the drilling cable. This feature prevents different halves of -T glands from becoming mixed, and in addition saves some manual labor in the removal of the gland from the cable. r

Figures 6 and 7 illustrate a .novel form of packing plug 19. The theory and operation of this plug is similar to that of the washer 5. When there is no pressure in the casing,

the plug rests as is shown in Figurev 6. In

Figure the annular lip 19a is shown fitting snugly around the Cable C. Pressure in the casing is transmitted through the aperture 20 into the V space 21 in the plug 19. The pressure in the space 21 causes the lip 19a to press against. the cable C in accordance with the casing pressure. The composition of this plug may be rubber of medium rigidity, or any otheii material of suitable characteristics.

The features of the split gland, the novel packing ring, and the split head serve to make the apparatus much more useful and desirable than the old forms of oil savers. The packing plug may be useful in many devices of a similar nature.

' What I claim is:

The combination of a casing head collar having a seat therein, a washer in said seat being locked therein by a sleeve, which washer is provided with an annular groove within its inner face, an oil saver having a body extending into said sleeve, which oil saver is formed with a shoulder that rests upon the top of'said washer and extends downwardly over the inner face of the .washer to said annular groove.

In witness whereof, I hereunto set my hand. i

' .QLARK F. "RIGBY, 

